Tehran has voted in favor of the United Nations General Assembly’s annual resolution on the situation in Afghanistan, describing it as a strong message of support for the Afghan people and government to create a more stable, prosperous and democratic country.
“Afghanistan is at an important juncture and needs strong international support to build a better future for its citizens,” Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht-Ravanchi said in a Thursday address to the 40th Plenary Meeting of the UN General Assembly, titled “The Situation in Afghanistan”, ISNA reported.
He stressed that only one peace process managed and attended by Afghans can end the current conflicts and the solution should uphold previous achievements, including the current constitution, the fight against terrorism as well as respect for people’s right to determine their fate through elections and the rights of religious and ethnic minorities and women.
In this regard, he said, Tehran welcomes the UN General Assembly’s call for protecting the country’s Constitution and its rejection of the idea of reviving an “Islamic Emirate” in Afghanistan in the resolution.
The senior diplomat praised the Afghan government’s positive approach to peace talks with the Taliban, and urged the insurgent group to stop attacks against Afghan security forces in order to show their good faith.
He welcomed the progress made in peace talks and expressed Iran’s readiness to play a more active role to help its coordination with the UN, although one should not expect the negotiations to resolve all the problems of the past decades overnight.
“Sustainable peace in Afghanistan should not be imposed from abroad … All foreign players must avoid interfering in the peace talks that must be facilitated by the UN,” he said, adding that Iran also welcomes the UN General Assembly’s call for further UN interaction in the peace process.
Key Items Excluded
Takht-Ravanchi pointed out that the security situation in Afghanistan is still worrying despite the launch of peace talks, with increasing attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure chiefly by terrorist groups, especially the Islamic State whose elements are still arriving from Syria and Iraq in Afghanistan.
He regretted that while the IS poses a serious threat to the security of Afghanistan and the region, an independent clause about the threats posed by the group to this country was not included in the resolution due to the opposition of certain Western countries.
The UN envoy also said Iran’s support for the general assembly’s resolution does not mean it acknowledges or supports the continued presence and activities of foreign forces in Afghanistan.
“It is regrettable that again due to certain Western countries’ opposition, the call for the continued and responsible exit of all foreign forces from Afghanistan was not included in the resolution,” he said.
Handing the duties of foreign troops over to Afghan security forces will be a positive step toward sustainable peace, according to Takht-Ravanchi who called for strengthening domestic military and security personnel before and during the exit of foreign forces.
Takht-Ravanchi later called for international assistance to Afghanistan in its fight against the production and smuggling of drugs as the main source of funding for terrorist groups.
It is also essential, he added, that the international community work harder to improve Afghanistan’s economic conditions to prevent terrorists, extremists and smugglers from using the unfavorable situation for pursuing their vested interests.
The UN General Assembly adopted the resolution on Thursday via videoconference with 130 in favor, 1 against (Russia) and 3 abstentions (Belarus, China, Pakistan), pledging its continued support for the country’s government and people, as they rebuild a stable, secure and economically self-sufficient state.
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